Earliest SS Dagger by Carl Eickhorn

So I just walked the entire MAX show 4x last month trying to buy SS daggers. Wow! what a disappointment. Exmples like this are not to be found easily. This would have been manufactured among the preliminary SS Daggers. A very early Model 1933 SS Dagger (Schutzstaffel Dienstdolch) by Carl Eickhorn of Solingen with vertical hanger. The blade on this one is very nice! The acid etched "Meine Ehre Heißt Treue" motto and double oval "C.E. Carl Eickhorn Solingen" maker mark are both crisp and beautifully executed! They provide a wonderful contrast to the bright blade. The fit and tip are both perfect. The crossgrain runs the full length of the blade shining wonderfully against the light! The blade rates Exc++/NM. It shows some surface scratches and runner marks. These are hard to see and you can only catch them by just turning the blade so in the sun. The scabbard is steel based and black anodized. It has some oxidation and remains dent free. The nickel silver based scalloped scabbard fittings look great. The ball has a wee bruises yet retains a fine round shape. Four scabbard screws remain intact. The scabbard fit is perfect and closes with a snap. The nickel silver based crossguards look excellent matching the scabbard fittings in color and patina. The lower side is bench marked "5" as you would expect to see on these early Eickhorn's. The reverse of the lower fitting is district stamped "I" (Munich). The grip is black died hardwood and for those of you, "in the know" these early Eick's are notorious for flaking and chipping. This one has some flaking to the upper crossguard fits. The reverse upper left corner is a bit rough. Look at the back of the grip you can tell this vertical hanger has been on it forever! I just love it when you see stuff like that! It has wonderful fits that shows the time they had and the effort they put into these early pieces. The nickel silver based eagle is crisp, wonderfully detailed and has a perfect fit. The SS roundel retains 100% of its enamel and also has a perfect fit! This one comes with a black leather vertical hanger. The clip is Assmann marked. I'll not remove it nor do I suggest you do either, it's original. An early piece with a desired maker mark.